An interrogation of family-based care for the elderly in Kaloleni sub-location, Kisumu, Kenya

The aim of this study was to interrogate family based care services for the elderly within Kaloleni Sub-Location, Kisumu, Kenya. The population of the elderly (age 60 and above) is projected to outnumber children (0-9 years) by the year 2030, and by 2050, to exceed the population of adolescents and youth aged between 10 to 14 years. The Kenya government is exploring the development of a community care strategy and the roll-out of an Integrated Care of Older Persons (ICOPE) package. While family-based care has been the policy and cultural preference for offering long term elderly care, the state recognized growing demand for responsive changes to current realities. This research set the following three objectives: First, to establish the state of family based care in Kaloleni sub-location; second, to examine alternatives to family based care that exist in the sub-location, and, lastly, to interrogate policy options as suggested by respondents in the study. Using Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination table, a total of 120 elderly persons aged 70 and above were traced and 92 of them randomly sampled. The methodology deployed was mixed methods involving narrative interviewing and cross sectional survey. Descriptive data analysis and thematic analysis were deployed for quantitative and qualitative results respectively. Narrative interviewing/In depth interviews method was used in collecting data from Kaloleni sub-location. While findings from this research may not be generalizable due to study limitations and scope, the study strongly demonstrated the desperate state of gerontological care in informal settlements in urban centers in Kisumu, where over 90% of respondents sought improvement on care service provision for the elderly. The elderly persons mostly rely on care givers from the family but these care givers also tend to be dependent on the elderly respondents for general upkeep. Results support the literature that contends that older people are vulnerable to poverty. It was recommended that policy must shift to address factors that promote healthy aging and diminish suffering in old age as population aging continues. Further studies of a longitudinal nature are required to lend greater insight and inform policy.